10 Reminders When You’ve Lost Hope

Hope

Sometimes, all we need are gentle reminders that what we’re doing and who we’re striving to be are in our best interest.

I’ve spent a great portion of my adult life pondering the thoughts that have led to the decisions I’ve made and the paths on which I’ve embarked.

I have often been wrong, but I have never regretted the chance to write about it.

May you find yourself here, as I have.

You have peace when you make it with yourself

It starts with you, and no one else.

When you hear the stillness in your mind and feel the love in your heart, there is nothing in this world that can hurt you.

You are more than your meat suit of a body

It’s time to look in every mirror and open your eyes to what you truly see.

Maybe it’s stretch marks, acne, or scars. Love them all. Love them, because hating them is never going to do you any good, so why waste time?

We, as a generation, equally celebrate and shame our current body image, the results of which are displayed far and wide online.

We always share and like the videos we see of people breaking the standard stereotypes. They inspire us.

How about, for a change, you inspire yourself by breaking your stereotype?

You are exactly where you need to be

Are you tired of hearing this cliché? It gets easier when you finally let yourself believe it.

A year ago, I was hundreds of miles abroad, disgustingly confused about my life. Today, I don’t care. Is it easier? Not really. But in a way, it feels easier.

I am just crazy enough to believe that everything will be okay. Whoever said that it can’t?

You are your biggest enemy and your wisest friend

When you shut up long enough to listen to your own heart, instead of talking yourself into justifiable circles, you learn.

Karma is a bitch, but intuition is a goddess. Every question that you ask is an answer in itself, and the only barriers in life are the ones we create when we’re too scared to feel.

You are everyone else

Hatred doesn’t exist in and of itself.

When we fight, argue, and create drama for shits and giggles, we only hurt ourselves, despite our most fervent argument against this.

Everyone is the same. We all want the same things in life, no matter what means or languages we use to get there. We connect, and we long to be connected with and to. We love, and we want to love and be loved.

It is who we are, and it is our nature to see this and believe it.

You are an expression worth the work

The bottom line is this: you have to let yourself believe in your own damn self.

There is never going to be a family, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover, friend, or teacher who will show you the kind of support you must show yourself.

In all of the times you believed you couldn’t do something, you’ve changed the course of your own life—your own potential.

It takes an equal amount of effort to go in the opposite direction.

You stand alone, even in the biggest crowd

It’s not about primal survival. That’s a mechanical thing. It’s easy. What’s hard is having faith in the deeper layers of who you are.

When things begin to fall apart, what keeps you together?

People will leave you, and in turn, you will leave them. In the end, you only have yourself, truthfully and genuinely.

In order to be a part of the crowd, you have to admire your strength in being alone.

You build your wings on the way down

None of us can be truly prepared or safe for anything in life.

Right now, as you read this, you may be confused about your situation or scared that you’re not going in the right direction.

You may be like me, who has read countless articles on how to step outside of one’s comfort zone, and yet, I’m still circling the edges of mine.

Sometimes, it’s not about the right path. It’s about a big-ass cliff and having the faith and the simplicity of spirit to know that you’ll land effortlessly.

You will always begin again

I don’t think it’s in our cards to have an ending.

Regardless of in what or whom you believe, we’re more than a 9-to-5 job and some shitty bills in the mail.

We’re also more than a retirement plan and a Winnebago. I don’t know what we are, but I think it’s something beautiful.